Grandmama, come play with me!

I have Grandmama duty for a few days with my 2 and 4 year old boys. It is sometimes hard to get these two overly excitable brothers to slow down. Although I am not complaining; they have quite an imagination and like to create play.

I have spent an hour or more being the maintenance man at Mickey's (Mouse) Campground. I have also been the emergency AAA Operator for the driver of the camper who is lost and cannot find the campground. And I have played the un-named puppy friend of the Paw Patrol Pups.

Tonight we settled down just before bath time for an art project, otherwise known as Paper Pumpkin. Thank goodness the April So Cool Kit was in reserve. 

The brilliant colors, popsicle art and stickers captured this little guy's attention immediately.  His four year old hands easily folded the cards. And he was more than adept at removing the stickers and decorating cards and envelopes.

Oddly, he ran out of stickers before cards! Imagine that. 

I am going to swipe a popsicle card to use as  an embellishment and journaling spot on a scrapbook page with these pictures. 

In fact, I am going to take two; when I get back home I'll write the boys a note telling them what fun I had visiting them. This little creative one sorrowful admitted to me, "after you visit, I am sad when you leave." Me, too, buddy.

And a little silliness before upstairs for bath:

How thankful I am to have these boys close enough to visit frequently; I know many envious grandparents. 

These two boys are just another reason I love having a Paper Pumpkin subscription. We share crafty fun. We experiment and explore with art. We  stay in touch and make memories.  AND I can help settle them down with a little special attention.

This month’s kit, which arrived while I was away, is the perfect, PERFECT, kit for my two older grandsons who play in youth baseball leagues (and granddaughter in youth softball)! 

Am I a cool Grandmama or what?!

Have you subscribed to Paper Pumpkin (it's not just for Grandmamas)? Any questions about the kits, subscribing? I am happy to answer them all. And if you are ready, you can subscribe right from my blog by clicking that orange Paper Pumpkin button. 

Let's stamp!

 I Hear the Ice Cream Truck!

Did the ice cream truck used to come through your neighborhood, drive slowly down the street until a gaggle of youngsters ran to stop it?  Do you remember what tunes it played? 

The Smithsonian's  National Museum of American History collection includes a 1938 Chevrolet White Good Humor Truck. probably from Boston, MA.

 

photo pictured on www.si.edu/newsdesk/snaps

According to cultural history, Harry Burt of Youngstown, Ohio produced the Good Humor Bar in 1920, a vanilla ice cream bar covered in chocolate and frozen on a stick.  It was the wooden stick that revolutionized the way ice cream became easier to eat and enjoy. And the cherry on top? Burt began selling his patented cool treat from trucks rather than push carts.  Now the ice cream truck drivers could drive as far and as long as they wanted, unhindered by the manual pushing of those wooden carts.

Something I did not know until I began reading about the ice cream trucks and their music boxes, before Burt's trucks, ice cream men used to sell Penny Licks, a small bowl of ice cream that the customer licked clean. The bowl was returned to the vendor who rinsed it out from his cart and filled again for the next customer. Hmmm .... could have been the reason Burt had his men drive white trucks and wear white uniforms.

Confession ~ I did not grow up with ice cream trucks. There were soda fountains in drug stores and there were High's Ice Cream Shops in Norfolk.  

But stuck in my memory is a short little girl with bangs, in a dress, holding a grape popsicle out of the window of a monstrous sherbet green Pontiac of the late 50's (I had to kneel on the front seat to even reach the window). And I can see my brother standing at the ready with the garden hose to wash down the sticky purple streaks on the side of the car. 

My best friend's mom made popsicles in the freezer for us; I can remember tupperware-like molded ice treats. She also froze Kool Aid in small paper cups and added that stick to hold on to. 

I have just have to say, ice cream sticks and popsicle sticks do little to prevent a mess when eating, especially for children.  Right?

 

Well, one neat way to enjoy these treats today 

is with April's Paper Pumpkin kit, So Cool. 

Not from the ice cream man, but from Stampin' Up!, this paper crafting kit is delivered to your door and it includes supplies to craft 12 colorful, fun shaped cards with coordinating envelopes. This is a perfect kit to share with the youngsters in your life: grandchildren, students, Sunday School children ~ make the cards with children, send the cards to children, or order an entire kit for children to have and craft on their own. 

                   Take a look here:  https://youtu.be/5kN4485fYdQ.

I am ready to treat anyone and everyone who orders the April Paper Pumpkin So Cool kit to an icy treat (a gift certificate to your favorite ice cream shop) ~ you must be a new or returning Paper Pumpkin customer and order by April 9.  There is an orange Paper Pumpkin button to your right on this blog for your convenience in ordering;  please list me as your Demonstrator when prompted. Of course, I am also happy to order for you if you wish ~ just call or email me with your order. 

And if you need more really cool treats, Stampin' Up! has a new suite of products,  Ice Cream Corner. Choose from a stamp set of 18 images and sentiments, an Ice Cream Punch, Designer Series Paper featuring refreshing colors and treats, coordinating ribbon and a package of multi-colored Sprinkles embellishments. The colors in the suite coordinate with the Paper Pumpkin kit, too! 

                as pictured in the Stampin' Up! Mini Catalog January - June, p. 48

The suite product is available through June and may be ordered here or with me. This is a happy stamp set on its own, even if you do not order the Paper Pumpkin kit (I think I see a future class using this suite).

So, what's your favorite cool treat? I love most anything that has the word chocolate or brownie attached to it:  Brownie Sundae, Rocky Road, Belgian Chocolate Gelato, and I have stories about each flavor, recent stories even!

But what I treasure the most about ice cream is the memory of watching the Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights with an ice cream sundae that Daddy made: simply vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup and peanuts. 

Let's stamp!

Don't Be Scared

It has dawned on me that perhaps the word 'subscription ' scares you.

Are you afraid that you will want to cancel and won't get the cancellation notice in on time?

Are you afraid that you won't be able to find cancellation information?

Of course,  I am talking about Paper Pumpkin,  Stampin' Up!s monthly craft kit.

Right now I am working on January's Paper Pumpkin kit. It's a kit containing materials to create 24 - 24 mini Valentine's treat bags, complete with Cupid's arrows!

The bags are covered with gold foil hearts, lovely. Banners, pre-cut, are white cardstock and pink vellum! The included stamp set contains 8 individual stamps, among them are the sentiments I adore you,  love,  happy Valentine's Day  ...

There is just no way that these bags can turn out any way except gorgeous. You will be so pleased with yourself and the recipients will be over the moon!

So, back to the subscription... you may purchase one kit, or one month of Paper Pumpkin.  You can also purchase a three-month Paper Pumpkin,  for three consecutive months you will receive a different kit in your mailbox.

I have a month to month subscription ~ I gave SU my billing info and every month like clockwork,  I  get a notice that my Paper Pumpkin is on its way; it arrives around the 17th of the month and my bill is automatically paid with my bank card.

More than two years of Paper Pumpkin and I  have never missed a delivery and never had a payment problem.

Please don't let the idea of a 'subscription' scare you!

So, ready to give it a try?  Call me and I will get you started!

Someone Is In Need of A Card This Holiday

As I was stamping with a group of lovely gals yesterday I reminded them to please mail out their cards ~  to friends, associates, neighbors ...

And then in today's email I received an update from a stamper/crafter about an annual collection of holiday cards for nursing/rehab center residents. I want to pass the info along in case you should have extra cards OR in case you would like to create a few just for this cause.

Please visit www.lingshappyplace.blogspot.com and click on the 2016 Caring Hearts Card Drive. The details are all there. Cards will be accepted through November 25 ~ that should be plenty of time to make a card or two.

Do you need ideas for cards? Ideas abound in so many places; such as my card classes. Perhaps you are not close enough to attend, and if that's the case, I am happy to share with you any and all of my cards. Most ideas are not entirely original ~ I search Pinterest for many and I visit the blogs and sites of other stampers.

If you do not necessarily need a template to follow, but just need a jumping off place, check out
www.merrymondaychristmaschallenge.blogspot.com. Each week there is a prompt for a holiday card; this week's prompt is to create a card (holiday) that includes a bird. The site's artists will show you their cards for inspiration. You may join the challenge yourself and link your card to their site. Try it! You don't have to link it if you don't want, but try the challenge. Can you create a Christmas card featuring a bird? Sure you can.

Another great place to gather card design ideas? Paper Pumpkin by Stampin' Up! Although this month's design is inspired by autumn's leaves, next month's could easily be Christmas. Whatever the design, the kit usually makes six or more cards, often with pieces of leftover materials. If you subscribe to Paper Pumpkin, you may purchase kit refills, if available ~ more cards!! There's more Paper Pumpkin info on my site - I even have a button for it - see it?

Create those cards - share those cards.

Let's stamp!

I Did It!

Ever have one of those days when absolutely EVERYTHING went RIGHT?! You thought I was going to say WRONG, didn't you?

Well, I do mean right. Of course it came with some help from my friends, friends I don't even really know this side of cyberspace. The Stampin' Up! community is such a wonderful one, truly. I reach out to demonstrators across the screen and they are always responsive and generous, and they don't me, either. And that doesn't even include all of the inspiration found on idea sites and facebook.

One of my favorite products from Stampin' Up! is Paper Pumpkin. You have heard me say it before, many times in fact, I love receiving the surprise craft kit in the mail each month - all pre-packaged with everything needed to complete the project, and usually with leftovers to use on additional projects.

And typically, SU offers refills on the kits, so if you really like the paper and craft, you can order more and keep going.

I loved the paper and designs and color combination in the March kit. I wanted more of that paper, just to use, just to have, just to hoard. It's not going to stay around long enough to hoard. On one of my favorite sites, Paper Pumpkin Fan Club on facebook, I spied the sweetest z-fold card. I wanted to try it. I asked for directions and then went to it. I was a little nervous because it called for measuring, and I don't always do numbers well.

I did it! The card is referred to as a Z- fold because of the obvious Z that it forms when folded. I needed to have a white panel inside, I am just like that, and that proved a bit trickier - that number and measuring thing again. It's not that tricky, but you do need 12 X 12 paper.

So, I count this a success! I will be making more and teaching my stampin' friends how to create this card.

This represents only one fourth of my successful day ~ another neat fold of a card I found and mastered, another three-stamp technique card that was really easy to execute and a new stampin' venture scheduled for next month.

Stay tuned ~ I have more to show you.

In the meantime,

Let's stamp!